Joey

I've lived in Kent for longer than I lived in Manchester; the city of my birth and youth. I suppose that like all exiles I have a rather one-eyed perspective on my home town and a sense of "not belonging" anywhere, a dislocation. That's not by any means a problem or a complaint - it's just a personal reflection. Some parts of me are forever Mancunian though and they include my football team and the beers of my youth. I mentioned Boddingtons earlier this year and this evening my eye was drawn to this as I was wandering around a supermarket trying to remember what I needed to buy.

In contrast to Bods which became known nationally Joey Holt's is a Mancunian secret but I urge any beer drinkers who get a chance to diving into a Holt's pub and grab a pint or two. When I was a child the shop along the street was known as "the outdoor" because it had an off-licence; it could sell beer for consumption off the premises. It had a beer pump on the counter and people would call in with a jug and buy a few pints - I still remember seeing them hurrying home with a cloth over the beer to keep the rain out.